Hi, sorry for another belated recap (watched it late and had an early morning meeting to tend to).

Show kicked off with Mark Ballas doing double duty - he and his band sang a song from his new album before he assumed his dance partner duties.

Anyway, Abby Lee Miller was a more caustic version of Len and definitely had her own understanding of what was going on. Nevertheless, the 10s were flowing like water last night.

Charlie&Sharna got a perfect 40 right out of the gate, Amy&Derek got the second 40 as the last dancers of the first round. Only Candace&Mark failed to get any 10s.

The second round was the 'Celebrity Dance Duel', which turned out to only have the celebs dancing with each other for about 20 seconds or so. Amy&James did the best for their jive (39), Meryl&Danica did worst for their samba (34).

The judges scores shows that things have changed a lot: Amy&Derek are now at the top of the judges leader board (79), Meryl&Maks are at the bottom (70). Have Meryl&Maks peaked too soon?

The 'in jeopardy' couples were James&Peta, Danica&Val and Candace&Mark. Candace&Mark were announced safe.

The couple eliminated: Danica&Val.
(I wonder if Meryl&Maks are going to be in jeopardy next week during the semi-finals)

Yes, there will be a guest judge next week (announced during the show): Kenny Ortega, who's been a judge on SYTYCD several times, so he knows what he's doing.

Abby Lee was a train wreck and the scoring overall last night was idiotic. James and Peta did not deserve the scores they got, nor did Charlie merit his 40. That may have been a "make up foul" by the judges. You can quibble about whether Meryl and Maks should have gotten 9s or 10s but Miller's 8 was pure nonsense with her pulling out the stops to justify it (as she tried to do in post-air interviews). It was unseemly. Maks told it like it was in regard to Abby Lee and from the reactions in the sky box, a lot of the pros felt the same way. Even Bruno and Len could barely contain their disdain for Miller. There's no way that Danica should have been sent home. She worlds better than Candace and James. Another triumphant night for the ABC and the show runners. DWTS constantly loses to The Voice in the critical 18-49 ratings demographic and it's becoming obvious that having fools like RedFoo and Abby Lee Miller as guest judges is an attempt to reverse that. This just in: It ain't working.

Originally Posted by Cal1981
... DWTS constantly loses to The Voice in the critical 18-49 ratings demographic and it's becoming obvious that having fools like RedFoo and Abby Lee Miller as guest judges is an attempt to reverse that. This just in: It ain't working.

And the sad part is, my guess is by trying to chase the 18-49 demo they may actually be alienating their core audience.

I agree, scoring was all over the map last night, Abby Lee was just a cheap plug for the season premiere of her Lifetime(owned by Disney??) program. I've never seen, nor have any interest in it.

Last week watching Derek and Amy's Tango (of which I thought was wonderful) the thought of how much did Derek tailor the dance to Amy's abilities or lack of based on her limitations popped into my head. Now I realize every dancer has inherent abilities or lack of so of course you play to their strengths. I guess the real question is should she win the competition or perhaps more importantly end up with higher scores from the judges how would you rate her dancing?

How much x harder is it for her than the others to dance?

Does Derek hide the inabilities to the point they more or less don't matter?

Is she being judged on the same level as the other dancers?

How do you think the public is voting based on her ability?

Personally, I think Meryl is probably the best contestant they have ever had and could easily rival most of the pros if she wanted. At the same time I find a compelling case for Amy winning the competition not because of her limitations rather because of them... if you can figure that out...

Last week watching Derek and Amy's Tango (of which I thought was wonderful) the thought of how much did Derek tailor the dance to Amy's abilities or lack of based on her limitations popped into my head. Now I realize every dancer has inherent abilities or lack of so of course you play to their strengths. I guess the real question is should she win the competition or perhaps more importantly end up with higher scores from the judges how would you rate her dancing?

How much x harder is it for her than the others to dance?

Does Derek hide the inabilities to the point they more or less don't matter?

Is she being judged on the same level as the other dancers?

How do you think the public is voting based on her ability?

Personally, I think Meryl is probably the best contestant they have ever had and could easily rival most of the pros if she wanted. At the same time I find a compelling case for Amy winning the competition not because of her limitations rather because of them... if you can figure that out...

You've hit the crux of the matter. Yes, Amy is more limited than the non- handicapped dancers. Yes, her scores have been higher because Derek evokes flawless performances with material that is tailored to what his partners do well...with some tricks added in to wow the bowsers (us and sometimes the judges). From the start I thought she'd hang in there for awhile, but not finish. Now, I'm thinking that the groundswell of sympathy and admiration for what she's doing might offset superior performances from others. It is a popularity contest. I think she makes it to the finals, then it's up to Derek. If he can create a freestyle up to the level of his last two (perceptually) with a legless athelete who happens to be beautiful, I'm willing to concede that he is the magic man with his visual and conceptual choreography...as well as...his coaching ability which is off the charts. I'm calling her a contender.

I don't lurk as much as I used to and I NEVER listen. Comes from being old and cynical.

The guest judge will be Kenny Ortega (who's also been a regular guest judge on SYTYCD). So the quality of the judging should be superior to last week's efforts with Abby Lee Miller.

Well, it can't be any worse (do a search on ALM and DWTS and you'll find articles on her shooting off her mouth all last week trying to justify her score of Maks and Meryl and admitting that she had it in for Derek and Mark.). Whenever Kenny has been a judge on SYTYCD, his comments have, for the most part, been pretty saccharine. Given that I don't expect much in the way of constructive judging tonight. At least he's a nice guy and very encouraging. At this point, although I still feel that Meryl should, unless Maks screws up the freestyle, win this going away but it's entirely possible that Amy or even Candace could win for, in my mind, questionable reasons. I applaud Amy for what she's accomplished in life, sports and on this show, but I get the feeling that she is not being judged by the same standards as the others, which is understandable but Meryl has, to me, more than overcome that "obstacle" in her body of work this season. Of course for all I know, Meryl could get bounced tonight. It would probably, shock-wise, eclipse Sabrina's elimination in round 6 of her first season but the voters have the last word.

After that the first round dances (and the 10s) came out - three perfect 40 scores.

Then a bit of a shocker - all three Olympians were in jeopardy, guaranteeing one would leave.

Second round was harder for some, not Meryl&Maks, they got the only perfect 40, for a perfect total of 80.
In the interview part after their performance, Erin had some lighter moments with Maks about their relationship (Maks&Erin were partners in season 10).

The final results - saved were... Amy&Derek, which meant that one of the ice dance Olympic gold medalists would be eliminated.

And going home are....

Charlie&Sharna. I guess control got a little flustered because Tom tried to go to the video package for them (because he heard nothing in his earpiece), but then they told him 'out of time', so the program ended.

By the way, Meryl&Maks top the judges leader board with 80, Candace&Mark trail with 72.

Next week is finals week, On Monday, four couples dance the freestyle, one gets eliminated, then Tuesday is the grand finale (following a one-hour special, Road to The Finals).

It was very sad to see Meryl and Charlie standing there as the possible eliminations. While I didn't think that Charlie's Samba was all that good last night, James should have been gone. Charlie was more fun to watch than James and had been underscored on several occasions. Maks and Meryl were stunning last night. The Jive was astounding and the waltz, even with Meryl's odd costume, was beautiful. She literally glides across the floor. If she would have been sent home last night, I wasn't going to watch the show next week. I hope that all of Charlie's votes go to Meryl. She is one of the strongest celebs that this show has ever seen. If Maks has any brains at all, he will create a freestyle that is pure dancing and takes maximum advantage of Meryl's ability to completely sell the emotions of a routine.

I think Meryl is the best "acting" dancer they have had on the show. And it's fun watching her whip Maks around during rehearsal. At the end of the telecast it's only a TV show and one that virtually allows those taking the time to vote decide who goes on and who wins. As the judges scoring percentages when rounded off account for very little if anything.

As such I'll accept their winner and have zero issue with it. If I was picking a winner at this point I'd still be undecided... Amy or Meryl... I think Derek/Amy's abilities should be rewarded on and some levels they excel more so than Meryl. However the exact same can be said about Meryl/Maks.

It's finals week, Two-night finale - four couples enter, but only three stay to perform on Tuesday's grand finale and to crown the season 18 champion. Tonight is also the week of the 'freestyle' routine. Some have been terrific, some somewhat tepid.

By the way, tonight's show is only 90 minutes, because of the debut of the next installment of "The Bachelorette".

Tomorrow's show starts at 9:00 PM and runs for two hours, following the one hour recap "The Road To The Finals" at 8:00 PM. So Kimmel won't know if he's won or not (his choice to win is Amy Purdy) as he tapes his show at the same time as DWTS will be airing.

Two dances - first round was judge's choice and they had the couples perform the style of dance in week 4, during the switch-up week, but this time with their own partners.
Scores: Meryl&Maks - 30, Amy&Derek - 30, James&Peta - 29, Candace&Mark - 27. Yes Mark, despite his injury, was cleared to dance.

The reveal of the three finalists for Tuesday's show (scores based on last week's judges scores and audience vote totals) had initially no surprises. Meryl&Maks - in, Amy&Derek - in.

The surprise was who got eliminated - James&Peta.

With their scores tonight, with one more dance to be added, it would take a miracle for Candace&Mark to win it.

My initial thought after tonight was that it was Meryl's to lose, but with Amy's performance it could be closer. Will people vote for Amy&Derek because of all the obstacles she's overcome or vote for Meryl&Maks because they want to see Maks finally win one (Derek has won 5).
This is sort of similar to the all-star season (15) where it came down to Shawn Johnson&Derek (they won season 8) against Melissa Rycroft&Tony Dovalani (Tony had never won).

My initial thought after tonight was that it was Meryl's to lose, but with Amy's performance it could be closer. Will people vote for Amy&Derek because of all the obstacles she's overcome or vote for Meryl&Maks because they want to see Maks finally win one (Derek has won 5).
This is sort of similar to the all-star season (15) where it came down to Shawn Johnson&Derek (they won season 8) against Melissa Rycroft&Tony Dovalani (Tony had never won).

Taking nothing away from Amy who has accomplished things that nobody thought possible, but I don't think that she did that much true dancing during the freestyle. I was disappointed that Derek, unlike his freestyle with Kellie, chose to go with the rope gimmick at the end. Maybe he felt that he needed to end with a big flourish because Meryl and Maks are so formidable. Speaking of M&M, I've been an unabashed fan since week one and felt all along that they should win this thing. Tonight only reinforced that feeling. Their Tango was terrific. I was worried about what Maks would come up with for the freestyle, but like Derek did with Kellie, he used his partner's technical and acting abilities to create a stripped down, leave it all on the floor contemporary routine. It was stunning and the choice of music couldn;t have been better. Good for Maks for proving the doubters and critics wrong. I love that ,after the almost kiss at the end, they started laughing it was as though they were sharing an inside joke known only to them. It was quite charming. DWTS has had some great couples over the years but in terms of the joining of skills and an emotional connection, Meryl and Maks may be the best that the series has seen. While some may vote for Maks because they feel that he's due to win or for Meryl as an individual, I suspect that most are voting for them as a couple who make each other better. I will be very disappointed if they are not holding the trophy when the show ends tomorrow night,

Taking nothing away from Amy who has accomplished things that nobody thought possible, but I don't think that she did that much true dancing during the freestyle. I was disappointed that Derek, unlike his freestyle with Kellie, chose to go with the rope gimmick at the end. Maybe he felt that he needed to end with a big flourish because Meryl and Maks are so formidable.

I think Derek got a bum rap on his freestyle. His mantra was she could fly (no boundaries) and as such I believe he wanted her to never touch the ground. Which makes true dancing rather difficult. I think she already proved she could more than true dance so for my thinking what the heck let's do something different. Regarding the rope I'm guessing it was freestyle motivated to get viewer votes rather than Len's 10. Which if your goal is to win not a bad decision.

I agree Maks hit a home run with his freestyle and made it impossible for anyone else to win the dancing aspect of the show. My guess is it's a perfect storm for Maks and Meryl and they will win. If there was ever any doubt Maks' freestyle more than removed it.

I think Derek got a bum rap on his freestyle. His mantra was she could fly (no boundaries) and as such I believe he wanted her to never touch the ground. Which makes true dancing rather difficult. I think she already proved she could more than true dance so for my thinking what the heck let's do something different. Regarding the rope I'm guessing it was freestyle motivated to get viewer votes rather than Len's 10. Which if your goal is to win not a bad decision.

I agree Maks hit a home run with his freestyle and made it impossible for anyone else to win the dancing aspect of the show. My guess is it's a perfect storm for Maks and Meryl and they will win. If there was ever any doubt Maks' freestyle more than removed it.

There's been a lot of comment about Derek not letting Amy dance full out on some routines and trying to cover for her with gimmicks and that when she danced Salsa with Mark, he let her rip. I don't necessarily agree with that. The problem with having someone like Amy, with a unique medical problem, is that there's always a lot of speculation about the judges applying a different standard, compared to other "whole" celebs.Frankly, the three nattering nabobs (thank you Spiro Agnew) have been so inconsistent this season that it's hard to tell what they are doing in regard to Amy.. Getting back to M/M, the opening of their freestyle is easily the best thing that Maks has ever done on the show and one of the best in it's history:

The problem with having someone like Amy, with a unique medical problem, is that there's always a lot of speculation about the judges applying a different standard, compared to other "whole" celebs.Frankly, the three nattering nabobs (thank you Spiro Agnew) have been so inconsistent this season that it's hard to tell what they are doing in regard to Amy.

As I stated a few posts ago how the judges score is virtually irrelevant as to who wins. Percentage wise the difference is (between those that can actually win) so small it rounds off to zero. Now you can make the case they influence the voters but I think to some degree it might work in reverse. Seeing their favorite get a lower score could motivate them to vote in the first place or perhaps vote to the allowable maximum.

My take has always been the winner is the person who dances reasonably close to the best and happens to relate to the voting viewers the most at that point in time. I think Maks' appreciation of Meryl and Meryl's handling of Maks makes them the most relatable... and tops Amy's goodwill and ability.

I tend to give Meryl the lion's share of credit for Maks' freestyle. Certainly he played the cards dealt him very nicely but it's her ability that makes it memorable. Again as I posted before her "acting skills" are beyond approach. Just as Julianne stated she wishes she could dance as beautifully and I think she was being authentic.

My take has always been the winner is the person who dances reasonably close to the best and happens to relate to the voting viewers the most at that point in time. I think Maks' appreciation of Meryl and Meryl's handling of Maks makes them the most relatable... and tops Amy's goodwill and ability.

Normally, I'm all in for the best dancer unless there's hardly a difference. Then I break it down by who I like most. This season I'm torn. I like both Meryl and Amy, but watching Amy improve and outdo herself each week has been extremely impressive. This year was obviously a setup for Max to win it finally and he's made no mistakes. However, that pesky Derek has put Amy in a very strong position to win. There's a huge groundswell of emotional support backing up that lil handicapped girl and I'm not sure I don't belong to it. Any other year and M/M walk away happy and perhaps they still do. I'll bet it's close either way.

I don't lurk as much as I used to and I NEVER listen. Comes from being old and cynical.

However, that pesky Derek has put Amy in a very strong position to win. There's a huge groundswell of emotional support backing up that lil handicapped girl and I'm not sure I don't belong to it. Any other year and M/M walk away happy and perhaps they still do. I'll bet it's close either way.

I agree Derek worked his magic once again and Amy has been under his spell very nicely. And in most years I think it would be a cake walk. However this year Maks & Meryl have as much or more emotion on their side and that's what gathers votes. At least that's my guess. I think Amy has achieved more with Meryl being the better dancer. It simply depends on what you want to reward.

Personally, up to last week I was going to give the mirror ball to Amy. But when it comes down to actually pronouncing the winner I can't see how you can't announce Meryl. To a large degree that's giving Amy even more credit... you are judging them equally and finishing second is more satisfying than finishing first with an asterisk.

Right now it's 'too close to call' between Amy&Derek and Meryl&Maks. But to be a bit of a devil's advocate for a moment. I looked at dialidol.com for the show and one of the graphs had a big line of support for Candace&Mark. My own opinion, I really don't put much stock in what dialidol.com has to say about it.

At the end of the telecast it's only a TV show and one that virtually allows those taking the time to vote decide who goes on and who wins. As the judges scoring percentages when rounded off account for very little if anything.

To me it boils down to who one thinks the audience would place last(3rd). I highly doubt it would be Amy and it's my belief Candace has a strong following and I doubt she'd be in third......that only leaves one and I would NOT be happy with that outcome but at this point I wouldn't be all that surprised either

My guess is the judges will be #1 to Merryl, 2 to Amy and 3rd to Candace but in the end it all basically boils down to the audience, whoever they place in #1 WILL be #1 and whoever they place in 3rd will be either 3rd or if the judges place them in #1 they'll end up #2, at least thats the way I understand the placement goes.

My guess is the judges will be #1 to Merryl, 2 to Amy and 3rd to Candace but in the end it all basically boils down to the audience, whoever they place in #1 WILL be #1 and whoever they place in 3rd will be either 3rd or if the judges place them in #1 they'll end up #2, at least thats the way I understand the placement goes.

If I remember correctly it works like this...

The judges' scores count for 50%. I think you add up all of the judges' scores say 90 + 89 + 80 which equals 259. 90 is 34.7% so they get 34.7 points. The others 34.3 and 30.8. I think the viewers' votes are handled the same way and you simply add the two together... now it's been years since I read the rules and I may be way off base.

The judges' scores count for 50%. I think you add up all of the judges' scores say 90 + 89 + 80 which equals 259. 90 is 34.7% so they get 34.7 points. The others 34.3 and 30.8. I think the viewers' votes are handled the same way and you simply add the two together... now it's been years since I read the rules and I may be way off base.

You got it right. If there's a tie after the calculation, then the couple that got the higher audience vote gets the nod.

It's now over (on the west coast, and most likely Hawaii/Alaska too). I'm late because I watched it late and didn't look at anything to spoil it.

I think tonight's finale was better than most. Featured Erin Andrews snarkiness, Tom Bergeron's potty mouth (only during dress rehearsal ) and Charlie White still having prop issues (the umbrella - which broke - vs the cane - which he dropped). Charlie&Meryl got to dance together one more time, on wood this time, but I was not happy that they came out of commercial break into the middle of their dance.

Current champion Amber Riley returned to perform (looks like she put the weight she lost during her season of competition back on).

2nd place - Amy&Derek (sorry Jimmy Kimmel, you'll have to settle for successfully picking the second place couple for the third time)

1st place (and new champions) - Meryl&Maks. HOORAY for Maks, finally winning one. I guess he needed the perfect partner to win, and Meryl Davis was 'the one'.

They ran out of time, didn't give Amy&Derek a chance to speak, and Meryl&Maks barely had time to get their hands on the mirror ball trophy before the show cut away to local news. (Oh well, there's GMA tomorrow)

Final comment: I did say that I wasn't sure I would cover the season with changes made (Harold Wheeler out, Ray Chew in, Brooke Burke-Charvet out, Erin Andrews in), but it turned out not to make a difference, it was still the same show and the changes definitely brought new life and energy into the show. The ratings also were up. This show will never win the coveted 18 to 49 demographic, but 15 million viewers is still 15 million viewers.

Final note: It was announced that executive producer Conrad Green is leaving after tonight's finale to do another show on another network. Also head judge Len Goodman very loudly hinted that he may not be back for next season (Green and all three judges have been there since day 1 of season 1).

The show has been renewed for next year, so I'll see you in September.

Meryl and Maks won and all is right with the world. There was a major screw up during the broadcast. After ABC publicized the Meryl-Charlie dance, they were in commercial when they started and we only saw part of their routine. Candace look relieved not to have won and I love Tony and Val's reaction to Maks winning. The four finalists along with , I believe, Henry, Artem, Jenna and Whitney, were on GMA this morning with the celebs dancing with their partners. As tired as they were,They appeared to be having a blast. You also see the real camaraderie between the professional dancers. For the most part they have been on this show for years and many have trained with Shirley and Corky Ballas. Some have probably competed against each other on the Ballroom circuit, Their histories go way back. I think that it's been noted but major props have to go to the troupe dancers. They were outstanding this season and the addition of Artem, a superior dancer, was a big part of that.

I noticed Tony and Val's extreme joy at Max's victory. I'm sure they were happy for him, but I wonder if part of it was because Derek did not win. Is there some resentment for the "Golden Boy"? Does he have a "Holier Than Thou" attitude?

My take is this was one of the better seasons and a renaissance to some degree. Erin ended up being a perfect partner for Tom. I loved her line when Candace indirectly referenced her competition... "Did you catch my season I had to go up against a Pussycat Doll..." I think they got lucky with Meryl & Charlie coming off the Olympics and with Amy they scored two coups. Most seasons they are lucky to get one.

I thought the one-hour recap before the finale was very well done. I would have preferred all new content but I understand why they repeated what they did. This is one of the few shows that takes you into the off screen activities and I think they should play that aspect up even more. It's the journey the viewers attach themselves to and it can only help.

To a large degree I think the fans of the show are almost as interested in how the various pros teach, interact, and overall shape the season than the contestants themselves. After so many seasons it's hard not to have your favorites, those you aren't quite as fond of and wonderment as to which youngsters will become the next generation.

Ultimately, it's the vibe of the show that is its attraction. It's still very unique and as long as they can maintain it I look forward to the next season.